Bad newsMan United Fans Throw Tennis Balls During Roma Game in Protest at Owners
Supporters released 4,000 balloons and threw tennis balls onto the Old Trafford pitch on 3 November in protest at the Glazer family and Jim Ratcliffe. United, 17th in the league, trailed 2-0 before winning 3-2.
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Manchester United supporters interrupted a Champions League match on Tuesday night to tell their owners what they think of them. With the club 2-0 down to Roma inside 18 minutes at Old Trafford, fans in the Stretford End threw tennis balls onto the pitch, Fox Sports reports. The protest had been planned and promoted on social media earlier that day. Only a small number of balls were thrown, and players cleared them quickly, so the delay was brief.
Before kick-off the same stand released 4,000 green and gold balloons at once, according to the Sporting News. Those are the colours of Newton Heath, the club that became Manchester United, and a banner carried the slogan “For the love not the likes”. The message was a call to return to the club’s roots rather than follow its current direction.
What the fans are angry about
The target is ownership. The American Glazer family have owned the club since a leveraged buyout in 2005, and supporters have objected for years to how the club was financed and run. The Sporting News says the sizeable debt used for the purchase and for later decisions has come under heavy fire.
Fox Sports adds that some of the anger is now aimed at Jim Ratcliffe, who bought a 25% stake for $1.3bn in 2024 and controls football operations. Supporters criticise him over the team’s results and higher ticket prices, and Fox says Ratcliffe has fired two coaches. Neither report carries a response from the club or from the owners.
A team under pressure
The protest arrived at a bad moment on the pitch. United went into the match 17th in the Premier League and in the bottom third of the Champions League table. They had not won in nine games, the Sporting News and Sky Sports report. Michael Carrick, the permanent manager this season, was under scrutiny before kick-off.
The first half supported the fans’ mood. Matias Soule scored for Roma after 11 minutes and Donyell Malen added a penalty seven minutes later. Sky says United were booed off at half-time and were cut apart repeatedly on their left side, where Diogo Dalot was high up the pitch and Ayden Heaven was exposed.
The result, stated plainly
United then won 3-2. Sky reports that Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty after it was retaken, and Matheus Cunha scored twice, including the winner, before being sent off late on. It was United’s first win in 10 games and, by Sky’s count, their first in 54 days.
A win does not answer the protest. The supporters were not asking for one result, and Sky itself noted that doubts about the squad, the coaching and the ownership do not go away after a single good half. Fernandes, the captain, told Amazon Prime that fans have been frustrated to see the club in this situation and that the players share the frustration.
What to watch
No source reports a fine or any action by UEFA or the club over the tennis balls. The next test is whether the protests continue at home matches if results do not hold. The reports do not say whether further demonstrations are planned.
